"A $170,000 license plate and food stamps"

The Cape Gazette, a twice weekly local newspaper covering events and information about Southern Delaware (too many obituaries and real estate offers), reports that last Sunday a two-digit Delaware license plate sold for $170,000 at an auction. The buyer, a contractor who specializes in government buildings, will probably place the plate on one of his vintage cars. After the purchase the winning bidder spoke with the press about what a great investment he considers the plate. He expects to turn a handsome profit and was prepared to bid up to $200,000.

 

The auction of a license plate is incongruous with the stark reality of many local citizens waiting out winter months, living on unemployment benefits and looking forward to minimum wage summer jobs. Many of the seasonal workers live in “manufactured home” developments which are worth less than $10,000. 

 

I hope Christian people feel the pain caused by the disparity between those who have surplus resources and can speculate on a piece of metal with the embossed number “67" while others present food stamps in payment for a few food goods at the grocery store.

 

I know, I know! Some in the latter group failed to apply themselves in school, have an arrest record, have a poor work ethic and . . . but, some may never have had opportunities the former group has enjoyed. When I stop and reflect, but for the grace of God I could have been born in much different circumstances. If family hadn’t played the role it did, I may have never finished high school. What if I had been dyslexic and the learning disability was interpreted as a behavioral issue. How often do children like that recover from the stigma of “special Ed” classes? I can hear the screech, or murmurs, “We gotta end all these entitlements! People have to work or they shouldn’t eat!” Even Christians dare to see their success as an indication of their worthiness and hard work.

 

The older I get, the more I observe, and the deeper my understanding of God’s grace seeps into my soul, the fewer simple answers I have and the more inequitable the world appears. I want to do something to point out that Christians have a responsibility to live unselfishly. People at either end of the economic spectrum may begin to notice that our faith and behavior are connected!